I haven’t read the books, but I found Gaal Dornick and Salvor Hardnick’s storylines very difficult to follow. The actors felt miscast and the character development felt extremely rushed.
Possible spoilers:
One minute Gaal arrives and meets Raych Seldon. Within an episode, somehow they’ve become lovers? Um. What?
Hugo is possibly the most pointless character.
Salvor comes off as a heroic, protagonist, but it doesn’t seem earned.
The “Empire” is the only interesting plot line. Brother “Day” is casted very well. The rest of the show made little sense.
Overall the show has extremely high production quality. It’s looks like a beautifully seared, delicious piece of steak. But when you cut into it, it’s a glob of fat.